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lenin95
Joined: 17 May 2009
Posts: 17
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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 Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:48 pm Post subject: Vista & View |
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Are vista and view synonyms? Is there any difference between the two words?
I think you would normally say: "It's a nice view". I googled it and it gave 9,610 results, while "It's a nice vista" gave 2 (two) only!! ("great vista" gives much more results, but most of those are about the operating system, I guess.)
Thanks a lot! |
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Bob S.
Joined: 29 Apr 2004
Posts: 1767
Location: So. Cal
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| Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:06 pm Post subject: Re: Vista & View |
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| lenin95 wrote: |
Are vista and view synonyms? Is there any difference between the two words?
I think you would normally say: "It's a nice view". I googled it and it gave 9,610 results, while "It's a nice vista" gave 2 (two) only!! ("great vista" gives much more results, but most of those are about the operating system, I guess.) |
They are closely related. A vista is typically a panorama, a broad view of landscape with a view of the horizon.
A view can be a vista, or it can be more narrow. A strategic seat in an auditorium or sports arena can give you a good view, but what you'd see would not be called a vista.
More examples:
The sight from a mountain top could be called a gorgeous view or vista.
But the sight from an airplane window would just be a view, not a vista because it would be too narrow.
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper |
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lenin95
Joined: 17 May 2009
Posts: 17
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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That's what I thought, but I searched a few online dictionaries and this definition confused me:
vista
1 a pleasing view, especially one seen through a long, narrow opening.
- from www.askoxford.com, for example.
So a view seen through a long, narrow opening? That would contradict with the mountain view, I guess.
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redset
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:42 am Post subject: |
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Yeah I saw that too - I agree with Bob though, in that most people use vista in the sweeping panoramic sense. I guess that definition could mean long and narrow in the horizontal sense (a wide panorama), but I saw this too:
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1. a view or prospect, esp. one seen through a long, narrow avenue or passage, as between rows of trees or houses.
2. such an avenue or passage, esp. when formally planned. |
which sounds like it means tall and narrow. I'd say that the majority of English speakers would be unaware of this definition though, and would just use vista to describe an expansive view. |
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Bob S.
Joined: 29 Apr 2004
Posts: 1767
Location: So. Cal
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks, Redset. Yeah, when I think of the common usage of vista, I think of the place names that use the word: Vista, Chula Vista, Sierra Vista, all are somewhat elevated with a panoramic view of something (hills, bay, desert mountains). |
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lenin95
Joined: 17 May 2009
Posts: 17
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks a lot guys! |
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